


The Logical Solution

by Suryaofvulcan



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: F/M, M/M, Threesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-08-14
Updated: 2006-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-16 07:02:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8092327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suryaofvulcan/pseuds/Suryaofvulcan
Summary: T’Pol/Tucker/Reed. What if the bond between Trip and T’Pol couldn’t be broken? With Trip and Malcolm now in a committed relationship, the three ‘Enterprise’ officers face a dilemma when T’Pol enters pon farr.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).

  
Author's notes: A/N: Another â€˜Human Touchâ€™ reject. Forgive me if this story has been done before. Iâ€™ve never seen it, yet it seems so obvious to me. This â€™threesomeâ€™ idea, in a slightly different form, was central to the original concept of my â€˜Human Touchâ€™ series, but that was before I saw any of Season 4. As the episodes progressed, the series turned in a different direction, and in any case the way I originally wrote it made Trip seem incredibly selfish and somewhat cruel (which I know he isnâ€™t). Anyway, the idea has been floating around in the back of my head for about a year, but I watched a documentary on ployamorous relationships recently, and the story came back to life with a vengeance. Iâ€™ve used canonical reference material on pon farr from the TOS episode â€˜Amok Timeâ€™, the VOY episode â€˜Blood Feverâ€™, and of course the ENT episode â€˜Bountyâ€™. Beyond that, I made it up. BTW, Iâ€™m calling this slash even though it features het sex, as Tucker/Reed is still the central relationship. Of course, Iâ€™m just living vicariously through Tâ€™Pol in this one. This is my first attempt at a threesome, so please be kind.  
  
  
Beta: The lovely Bianca, whose comments and insight were most helpful. Any remaining mistakes are entirely mine because I fiddled with it afterwards.  


* * *

Trip opened the door to his quarters and stole silently into the dark, quiet room, anxious not to wake the slumbering figures in the bed. Without turning on the light, he quickly shed his uniform and then lifted the edge of the blanket and slid into the bed behind Malcolm, leaning over him to kiss Tâ€™Polâ€™s soft hair and the point of her ear before spooning up behind the other man and gently nuzzling the back of his neck.

â€œYou are late,â€ Tâ€™Polâ€™s sleep-muffled voice observed from Malcolmâ€™s other side.

Malcolm stirred, then turned between them to face Trip, snaking his arms around the engineer and kissing him lightly on the lips. â€œLong shift, love?â€ he murmured, stifling a yawn.

â€œYeah,â€ Trip answered. â€œSorry. Didnâ€™t mean to wake ya.â€

â€œWe were not sleeping.â€

â€œWe were waiting for you,â€ Malcolm said, then he leaned in and took a longer, deeper kiss as Tâ€™Pol reached between them to caress both menâ€™s stomachs.

â€œOh? Whyâ€™s that?â€ Trip breathed as they came up for air.

In a practised move, Tâ€™Pol made room in the bed as Malcolm rolled both himself and Trip until they had exchanged positions.

â€œWe wanted you in the middle tonight,â€ Malcolm explained.

Tripâ€™s only answer was to growl softly as Tâ€™Pol claimed his mouth in a hungry kiss.

~~~

*Ten months earlier â€¦*

â€œIs it just me, or are we overlooking the obvious solution?â€

Malcolm had been silent for most of the last hour as he sat in Tâ€™Polâ€™s quarters listening to Trip and Tâ€™Pol as they discussed - correction, argued over - the pon farr problem, only interjecting when he needed clarification of some technical point of the Vulcan mating practice. He was glad Trip had insisted he be included in this discussion, largely because currently he seemed to be the only one who was keeping a clear head. Trip had told him at the beginning of their relationship about the mental connection he shared with Tâ€™Pol, and thus far it had caused few problems thanks to the mental â€˜barrierâ€™ Tâ€™Pol habitually erected in order to preserve her sanity. But two days ago, when Tâ€™Pol realised she was showing signs of entering pon farr, the matter became critical. At this point, Malcolm wasnâ€™t sure whether he was present in his capacity as Tripâ€™s partner, as his chaperone, or as a referee. Even he could see that Tâ€™Pol was growing increasingly irrational as her need for her bondmate became imperative, but Trip was adamant that he was not going to be unfaithful to his life-partner under any circumstances.

But now Malcolm spoke up, and two pairs of eyes were turned on him. Tâ€™Polâ€™s expression was blank; Tripâ€™s curious.

â€œWhat solution, Mal?â€ Trip said.

â€œA threesome,â€ Malcolm said calmly. He wasnâ€™t sure how either one of them would react to his suggestion.

One of Tâ€™Polâ€™s eyebrows arched elegantly, while Tripâ€™s tried to climb into his hairline.

â€œWhaâ€¦?â€ Trip gasped.

â€œThink about it for a minute, Trip,â€ Malcolm said, before his partner could protest. â€œThe two of you have spent more than two years trying to find a way to break this bond, to no avail. And even if you were to find a way in the next few days, Tâ€™Pol would still need to mate with *someone*.â€ He turned to Tâ€™Pol. â€œThis â€¦ pon farr drives you to mate with Trip - your bondmate - at all costs, am I right?â€

â€œYou are correct,â€ Tâ€™Pol confirmed. â€œUnless you challenge me in the kun kalifi - which is your right as his partner.â€ Her jaw was set and her eyes defiant as she regarded him warily.

Malcolm smiled faintly. The Vulcan woman might look delicate, but he was well aware that she had more than twice his strength. Between that, her mastery of Vulcan martial arts, and the primal instincts brought to the fore by the pon farr - the so-called â€˜mating feverâ€™ - she could best him easily in single combat.

â€œAs much as I love Trip, I have no desire to fight a fellow officer to the death over him,â€ Malcolm quipped, flashing a reassuring smile at his lover.

â€œI must resolve the pon farr one way or the other, or the neuro-chemical imbalance will become critical - and fatal,â€ Tâ€™Pol stated simply.

â€œBut what if I wasnâ€™t a challenger so much as a â€¦ a willing participant?â€ Malcolm countered. â€œDoes anything preclude your mating with more than one person?â€

Tâ€™Pol considered for a moment, her bond with Trip thrumming in her mind and in her blood. Her need for him was growing more urgent with each passing day. The pon farr would soon be upon her, and she would take him by force or die in the attempt. Her rational self had no desire to hurt or violate him, and she understood and admired his commitment to his human lover, but the mating instinct was imperative, and she could feel her control gradually slipping away.

Until this moment she had instinctively regarded Lieutenant Reed as an obstacle, an adversary, a challenger who must be defeated before she could mate with an unwilling Trip. But now â€¦ the fire in her mind subsided a little as she considered his idea. It would be illogical to engage in combat for one mate, when two came to her willingly. How ironic that this man, whose very function on the ship was confrontation, should devise such a conciliatory solution. The fever cooled still more as she began to look on him no longer as a challenger, but as a suitable mate; calm and rational - for a human - and undeniably attractive â€¦

â€œNo,â€ she said at last. â€œTraditionally my people are monogamous, but these are â€¦ unusual circumstances. I am not prevented from having two mates.â€

â€œMal?â€ Trip finally recovered his voice. â€œWhat are you suggestinâ€™?â€

Malcolm turned to his partner. â€œThat we invite Tâ€™Pol into our bed for the duration of this pon farr business, love,â€ he said. â€œIt wouldnâ€™t feel so much like cheating if we were both involved, would it?â€

â€œI guess not,â€ Trip mumbled, clearly somewhat dubious.

â€œAnd I think we both want to help Tâ€™Pol through this,â€ Malcolm continued. â€œBut Iâ€™m afraid a threesome is the only solution I can see thatâ€™s remotely civilised.â€ He left his perch on the edge of Tâ€™Polâ€™s desk and came to stand behind Trip where he sat on her desk chair. He reached out and gently massaged Tripâ€™s shoulders. â€œWhat do you think, love?â€

Trip shook his head in confusion. He couldnâ€™t decide if what Malcolm was proposing was every manâ€™s dream or a nightmare come true. He couldnâ€™t deny that he still found Tâ€™Pol physically attractive - as, he was sure, did Malcolm - and as her friend he wanted to help her, but any deeper feelings he once had for her had long since subsided. He loved Malcolm, and nothing would change that. Yet he could feel the fire burning within her through their bond, and he knew she wouldnâ€™t be able to hold out much longer. But this â€¦ threesome â€¦ idea couldnâ€™t possibly work, could it?

â€œAre you sure you wanna do this, Mal?â€ Trip said at last, clasping his loverâ€™s hand and pulling it to his lips.

â€œYes,â€ Malcolm said, without hesitation. The alternatives - a fight to the death and Tripâ€™s violation at Tâ€™Polâ€™s hands - were too gruesome to contemplate.

â€œTâ€™Pol?â€ Trip glanced over at the Vulcan woman who was, for better or for worse, his bondmate.

â€œIt is the logical solution,â€ she conceded.

â€œThen how do we â€¦?â€ Trip was suddenly shy. As much as he loved Malcolm, it had taken him many months to grow comfortable being with a man; now he was struggling with the concept of a threesome.

â€œLike this,â€ Malcolm said. Malcolm came around in front of him, still holding his hand, and pulled him up out of his chair. He led Trip across the room to where Tâ€™Pol had risen from her own seat on the bed and now stood waiting. When the two men reached her, Malcolm slid his free hand into one of hers, and then urged Trip to take the other. He noticed that her hand was warm and dry: her body temperature, normally higher than a humanâ€™s in any case, elevated further by the pon farr.

Malcolm rose onto his toes so that he could give Trip a soft, lingering kiss; warm and sweet and loving. Then he turned to Tâ€™Pol and did the same. Heâ€™d always thought Trip tasted like the ocean, but Tâ€™Pol was like desert wind with just a hint of some exotic flower. He let go of her hand and slid his arm around her waist as she melted into the kiss, and Trip moved around behind her to complete the tripartite embrace.

Tâ€™Pol closed her eyes as Lieutenant Reed - Malcolm, she supposed she should call him now - continued his slow, gentle exploration of her mouth, mapping it thoroughly with his tongue, leaving no place untouched. She was aware of Trip moving behind her, his lips and teeth and tongue caressing her neck and then travelling up to nibble the delicate point of her ear, while his hands explored the curves of her body between her shoulders and her hips. The fire of lust in her belly flared anew as she stood, pressed between the two hard male bodies. For two days she had been focussed entirely on one man. She had never before considered how much more satisfying it would be to have two â€¦ yet there was still something missing. She could feel the low hum of her mental connection with Trip, singing harmoniously now that the conflict was resolved, and without breaking the kiss she reached up to touch Malcolmâ€™s face, her fingertips instinctively finding the points along his jaw that would allow her to join with him.

Malcolm moaned softly into the kiss and clung tightly to her as the connection flared between them, and then suddenly she could feel him; a new presence in her mind. She finally gave herself up to the desire building inside her; lost in the sounds and smells of their arousal; the sensation of four hands and two mouths on her body; of two erections growing against her; of two minds joined with and through hers.

At last: she was complete.

Trip had found the fastenings at the back of her tunic, and he opened it and slid his warm, slightly rough hands underneath, and then Malcolm, his mouth still on hers, peeled it down her arms and discarded it somewhere across the room, and a low moan escaped her at the first touch of their hands on her bare skin. Trip lifted up her skimpy vest-top and cupped her breasts, teasing her nipples with his thumbs, and she leaned back against him as she enjoyed the sensation it produced in her, dimly realising that he must have removed his own shirt as she encountered his bare skin and soft chest hair.

She whimpered a little at the loss of contact as Malcolm broke the kiss to pull his own shirt over his head, but Trip cupped her jaw and gently turned her head until his lips found hers. He wound his tongue slowly around hers, probing and tasting as Malcolm kissed along her collarbone, and then she felt a sudden jolt of wet heat between her thighs as he moved down and sucked one peaked nipple into his mouth.

Malcolm moved across to suckle and tongue her other nipple as he pulled her leggings and underwear down in one smooth movement, and she moaned softly into Tripâ€™s mouth as both men began to touch her more intimately.

She had never felt so vulnerable, so exposed in both body and mind, yet so completely safe. Her bondmates knew exactly what she needed, and she was confident they would protect and care for her during this, the most unguarded time of her life.

Malcolm slipped her clothing and shoes off her feet as Trip lifted her top over her head. She was completely naked, and she could feel that behind her Trip had shed his own trousers and underwear as she felt the warmth of his skin and the heat of his erection pressing against her buttocks. His mouth returned to hers as Malcolm brushed his fingers up and down between her thighs and began to slowly kiss and lick his way down over her ribs and concave belly, and she whimpered softly into the kiss as her legs seemed to part of their own volition. She threaded her fingers into Malcolmâ€™s hair as he finally reached his goal, and Trip took his cue to slip his generous length between her thighs, slowly sliding the head of his penis back and forth across her opening to meet with Malcolmâ€™s tongue as he lapped at her sex.

Her pelvis twitched, her body aching to be filled, but Malcolm held her still as together the two men teased and pleasured her until she was in a frenzy of need and desire. She broke away from Tripâ€™s mouth as she gasped for breath. Her heart pounded in her chest; her blood sang in her ears; sweat beaded and trickled down her spine; and then finally, in one long, slow slide, Trip entered her.

The first orgasm took her even before he was completely inside her, fire blazing through her body and her mind as she tightened around Tripâ€™s thick member, drawing him further inside with her internal muscles. A formless cry of release escaped her and her knees buckled, but Malcolm rose quickly to his feet, supporting her through her climax. And then, almost before it had subsided, Trip began to move inside her, holding onto her hips as he grunted softly against her neck in time with his rhythmic thrusts. She clung to Malcolm for support as the sensation coursed through her, her mouth finding his, tasting herself on his tongue as she kissed him deeply. The second wave began to build within her, slower this time now that the first flush of her passion was spent. She trembled and buried her face in Malcolmâ€™s shoulder, aware of his strong arms holding her, his hands caressing her skin, and his soft, husky voice murmuring reassurance in her ear until at last Trip claimed his lips, and the two men shared a deep, hungry kiss over her shoulder.

A new, sweetly musky scent assaulted her, and she glanced down to find that Malcolm had opened his trousers and freed his own erection, and was stroking himself in time with Tripâ€™s thrusts inside her. She raised her head and gazed into his blue-grey eyes, now dark with arousal, and she recognised a need in them that mirrored her own. Hesitantly she reached down to touch him, marvelling at the heat and the silky smoothness of his skin as she wrapped her hand around his hard, heavy organ and gave him a few tentative strokes.

â€œOh, yes!â€ he groaned, his forehead coming to rest against hers. They gasped, hot breath on each otherâ€™s skin, as Malcolm enclosed her hand in his, guiding her to give him firmer, faster strokes, showing her how to spread his slippery precum over the head of his penis, until he gave another deep, throaty groan of satisfaction, and she delighted in the sound of his pleasure.

Tripâ€™s thrusts became faster and more erratic and he breathed heavily in her ear, mumbling her name and Malcolmâ€™s under his breath as he drove into her again and again. Tâ€™Pol moaned: her second release was so close, yet elusive. She wanted to climax with her lovers, to take them with her. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over her, and then Malcolm, seeming to know exactly what she needed, reached down between her legs, unerringly finding the erect centre of her pleasure. A single touch was all it took to take her to her peak, and as she fell over the edge once more she heard Malcolm murmur her name as his semen spilled over their joined hands.

She felt Tripâ€™s final powerful thrusts, and then he froze, hips jerking slightly as he emptied himself inside her.

For a few moments they were still, the only sound in the room their fast, shallow breathing as they stood, leaning against each other, recovering. At last Trip groaned, unable to support his own weight any longer, and pulled both his lovers down with him onto the bed.

The Starfleet bunk was built for one person, not three, but they didnâ€™t care. Trip slid one arm around Malcolm and the other around Tâ€™Pol, and they slept.

~~~

Tâ€™Pol stirred as she felt gentle fingers caressing the outer curve of her ear, followed by a pair of wet lips nibbling at its tip, and she allowed herself a small smile as she burrowed deeper into Tripâ€™s warm, furry chest, recalling that her ears had fascinated him ever since their first meeting. Malcolmâ€™s obsessions, she had discovered, lay in a more traditional direction - her ample breasts and â€˜very nice bumâ€™. He lay at her back now, breathing against her neck, one hand cupping her breast as his thumb caressed her nipple, his groin and flaccid organ pressed tightly against said bum.

The pon farr was over, and yet she didnâ€™t move, didnâ€™t draw away from the two men - her bondmates - who had satisfied her every need. In the last five days they must have made love in every combination that was possible between two men and one woman. She had vivid memories of being taken alternately by both Trip and Malcolm, the rhythm difficult, but not impossible, to maintain; of straddling Malcolm, riding him as he bucked beneath her, while sucking Trip as he thrust into her mouth; of lying beneath Trip, her arms and legs wrapped around him, filled by him as he in turn was filled by Malcolm â€¦

She paused for a moment in her reverie. Making love. It seemed natural to her now to use the human term for their activities rather than the more utilitarian phrases her people preferred. She understood now why they used it: how the physical acts of love they shared strengthened their emotional bonds. A Vulcan mate would have shared this with her because it was logical to mate with a woman in pon farr, because it was their duty to procreate. But Trip and Malcolm had taken pleasure in both her and each other, had turned it into a celebration of their love, and, through their mental connection, had allowed her to share in that emotion. And even now it remained with her, taking root in the innermost part of her secret self, surpassing anything she had felt for Trip during their desperate, drug-induced union in the Expanse.

Malcolm shifted against her, tightening his embrace and trailing kisses along her shoulder, and at the same time Trip stretched, catlike, giving a low, contented growl as he rolled onto his side and slid his leg over Tâ€™Polâ€™s to entwine with Malcolmâ€™s, and wrapped his arm around both of them.

â€œEveryone alright?â€ Malcolm murmured. Tâ€™Pol could feel the vibration as he spoke against her skin.

â€œMm-hmm,â€ Trip replied sleepily, his eyes closed, as he brushed lips with Tâ€™Pol.

â€œYes,â€ she whispered. She was content in the warmth of their embrace, and she did not want it to end. â€œDo you wish to sleep?â€ she inquired, remembering that her lovers had needed frequent rest periods during the last few days. She knew they enjoyed sleeping curled up together.

â€œNope,â€ Trip said, still gently touching and caressing her skin and Malcolmâ€™s.

A slight frown creased her brow. â€œThen you wish to engage in further sexual activity?â€

Behind her, Malcolm chuckled, the vibration rippling through their bodies. â€œIf only I could,â€ he sighed.

â€œNo, darlinâ€™, weâ€™re just snugglinâ€™,â€ Trip slurred.

â€œSnuggling?â€ she inquired, deciding the endearment was simply a slip of the tongue in his post-coital haze.

â€œYeah. Cuddlinâ€™ and beinâ€™ close with someone you love.â€

She considered for a moment, and then burrowed deeper into their embrace. â€œIn that case, I will also snuggle.â€

Trip raised his head, his bright blue eyes twinkling with suppressed mirth as he shared a look with Malcolm over her shoulder.

â€œYou do that, love,â€ Malcolm said, the smile clear in his voice as he pressed a kiss into her hair.

~~~

*One year later â€¦*

Tâ€™Pol leaned forward and blew out the flame on her meditation candle. She was dressed for bed, ready to retire for the evening, but as soon as she relaxed her mental discipline, a wordless invitation slipped into her mind. A tiny smile played about the corners of her lips, and she considered for several seconds before she politely declined, but wished her bondmates joy in each other.

Once the frantic few days of her first pon farr were over, Tâ€™Pol had expected Trip and Malcolm to return to their previous exclusive relationship. She had quietly resigned herself to expressing her gratitude, and returning to her solitary life. She knew that as a Vulcan she would never be able to sustain the emotional intensity of a human-style love affair, yet a part of her still yearned for the closeness they had shared with her so briefly. 

However Trip and Malcolm had surprised her by extending an open invitation to join them in their bed. She did so only rarely, her libido having returned to its naturally low Vulcan level at the end of the pon farr. Still, through their bond she could feel the love they shared, the love that had somehow grown to encompass her, the love that surrounded and suffused her each time they took pleasure in each otherâ€™s bodies.

â€œI guess youâ€™re part of this relationship now,â€ Trip had said as they took their leave of her, one year ago, before brushing his lips across her cheek.

Malcolm, always more succinct than his partner, had simply raised his right hand with the middle and index fingers extended. She had felt her eyebrow arch in surprise as she returned his steady gaze, and then she raised her own hand in the same manner until their fingertips touched in the Vulcan â€˜kissâ€™.

She shook herself back to the present as she put away her meditation candles and picked up her book. She would join them later, she decided. For the snuggling.

 

THE END


End file.
